Full Description
This edited volume explores the history and evolution of Turkish paramilitarism from the late Ottoman period to the 2010s. Aimed at undergraduates, postgraduates, scholars, and non-specialists, it offers an interdisciplinary analysis of paramilitary forces' influence on Turkey's historical, political, social, legal, and visual landscapes. The book examines key issues such as the Armenian Genocide, anti-communist operations, Alevi pogroms, and anti-Kurdish violence, and delves into how state-sponsored paramilitary groups have shaped the nation's modern history. Through case studies, examining key paramilitary groups such as Grey Wolves, Village Guards, and JİTEM, contributors reveal the deep-seated connections between paramilitarism and statecraft in Turkey.
With a unique focus on the suppression of marginalised groups, including Armenians, Kurds, and Alevis, the book presents groundbreaking research on how paramilitarism has been instrumental in state violence, both domestically and internationally. By incorporating political, economic, and social dimensions, this volume offers a fresh perspective on the enduring role of paramilitary actors in shaping Turkish state policies and provides readers with a comprehensive understanding of the complex dynamics behind informal violence in Turkey's history.
Contents
Foreword: Paramilitarism in Turkey: Deception, Performance, and Violence
Uğur Ümit Üngör
List of Contributors
About the Book
PART I The Origins of Paramilitarism in Modern Turkey
1 Modern Bandits of Purgatory in the Transition from the Ottoman Empire to the Republic: A Story of Property Transfer in Aintab from Warlords to Urban Elite
Ümit Kurt
PART II Paramilitarism and Raison D'etat
2 Counterinsurgency in Turkey: Coloniality of Paramilitary Forces and Provocative Counterorganisation
Deniz Yonucu
3 At the Intersection of Domestic and Foreign Policy in Turkey: Transformation of the Capacity for Extralegal Violence and Kurdistan Issue
Çağrı Kurt
PART III The Functioning of Paramilitarism Abroad and At Home
4 Pro-Turkish State Vigilantism in Europe in the Post-1960s
Mazyar Khoojinian
5 The Politics of Violence and Exclusion: Paramilitary Groups and the Targeting of Alevi Communities in Turkey
Ozan Çavdar
PART IV 1990s: The Heyday of Paramilitarism
6 The Village Guard System: Socio-Anthropology of a Paramilitary Institution in Northern Kurdistan (Turkish Kurdistan)
Adnan Çelik
7 Strategically Ambiguous and Deniable: Paramilitary Violence and Psychological Warfare in the 1990s
Yeşim Yaprak Yıldız
PART V Post-Truth Paramilitarism
8 The Contractual Functioning of Paramilitary Violence in Turkey: The JİTEM Case
Özlem Has
9 Disfiguring Public Reality: Televisual and Paramilitary Visions
Sidar Bayram
